Crossing to Safety

By: Wallace Stegner

Narrated by: Richard Poe

One of the finest American authors of the 20th century, Wallace Stegner compiled an impressive collection of accolades during his lifetime, including a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a National Book Award, and three O. Henry Awards. His final novel, Crossing to Safety is the quiet yet stirring tale of two couples that meet during the Great Depression and form a lifelong bond.©2002 Wallace Earle Stegner (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"This is a wonderfully rich, warm, and affecting book." ( Library Journal)
"It's deceptively simple: two bright young couples meet during the Depression and form an instant and lifelong friendship. "How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?" Larry Morgan, a successful novelist and the narrator of the story, poses that question many years after he and his wife, Sally, have befriended the vibrant, wealthy, and often troubled Sid and Charity Lang. "Where is the high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, the death wish?" It's not here. What is here is just as fascinating, just as compelling, as touching, and as tragic." (Amazon.com review)

Slow but worth the time

Hmmm, how does one review a book like this? It’s the story of two couples: their friendship, marriages, lives, treasured memories and hardships. I found the story a bit slow at times and occasionally disjointed. No huge rising plot. No language frills. No magnificently crafted scenery. That said, there was a rawness to it—a deeply human face that held my attention and my focus, even when I wasn’t reading. I’m glad I read it, but I’m not sure I’d go around recommending it to everyone I know… except perhaps to my sister, to get her take on the family dynamics in the book. There were certainly some ponderous subtleties I could relate to.

Stirringly beautiful tale of friendship

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! The story of the Langs and the Morgans... their strong friendship, through the ups and downs of life. Good job, Mr. Stegner!

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

His dialogue scenes were difficult to track who is speaking. With a book so heavily reliant on it, Mr. Poe could have differentiated voices better.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I wanted to know what happened to the Langs and Morgans. Good book, quietly unassuming, and captivating.

Any additional comments?

This is not my favorite Stegner book... that is reserved for the Big Rock Candy Mountain... but this is solidly captivating.

An easy listen.

The story is told from the perspective of the main character or one of the four main characters. It isn't always obvious & doesn't matter so much to me. Regardless, I enjoyed the book very much. It's basically about the lives of two very different married couples with each individual having their own ups and downs just like in real life. From reading the publisher's notes, I expected depression era characters sort of like my parents or my in laws but found his characters very different. I recommend this book if you enjoy classic type literature. This is the first book of Wallace Stergner I've read/ listened to and I'm off to find more of his works. Narrator Richard Poe, and this was the first time listening to him, did an excellent job. I think he is a perfect match for this story. I like how he read the female voices. I think it must be super hard to change your voice in a way to sound natural and believable. I would sound ridiculous doing it (laugh) so Mr Poe has my respect and I'm looking forward to hearing him again soon.

awesome read

interesting book, good writing, lots of literature references. Liked the theme of dealing with ones death. Thought provoking.

Excellent Story

The journey of life and it’s unpredictable turns and obstacles told through the memories of one player on the team of deep friendship.